Georgia
ESPN College GameDay: Picks for Week 8, Georgia at Texas
ESPN had no other option for their College GameDay destination in Week 8, as they headed to Austin ahead of Georgia at Texas in Week 8.
Joining the crew as the Celebrity Guest Picker on Saturday was none other than former Texas golfer and current PGA Tour superstar Scottie Scheffler. Over the course of his career, Scheffler has won 13 events on the PGA Tour as a professional, including a number of majors, and the Masters twice, including this year’s edition.
Outside of Austin, there’s a ton of fascinating matchups throughout the landscape of college football, such as Alabama at Tennessee, Miami at Louisville and Michigan at Illinois. Check out the full allotment of picks from this week’s edition of College GameDay below.
ESPN College GameDay Picks for Week 8:
Georgia at Texas: No pick for Herbstreit because he’s on the call in Austin, but the rest of the crew had to put their picks out into the world. Howard picked the Longhorns, wearing a cowboy hat and all, while Saban legitimately flipped a coin, and Texas ended up being the beneficiary. McAfee picking against the home team? No chance, while Scheffler was always going to ride with the Longhorns, as well.
As for Corso, he’s sticking with his national championship prediction in the Longhorns, as he grabbed the Hook ‘Em head for the clean sweep of Texas from the College GameDay crew.
Alabama at Tennessee: The Third Saturday in October is always a fun one to watch. The crew is split, with Saban, Scheffler and Corso on the Crimson Tide, while Howard, McAfee and Herbstreit are riding with the Volunteers.
UCF at Iowa State: Everyone is on the Cyclones in Week 8.
Kansas State at West Virginia: McAfee is still championing his Mountaineers as the potential Big 12 champions, but he could only convince Saban to join him in picking West Virginia.
Colorado at Arizona: Herbstreit picked the Wildcats, but the rest of the crew chose Coach Prime and the Buffaloes.
Nebraska at Indiana: Can the Hoosiers remain undefeated? Saban is the only part of the crew picking against Indiana to get the win.
Michigan at Illinois: A win over the Wolverines would be huge for the Fighting Illini. Only Howard and McAfee believe Michigan can trump Illinois in Week 8.
Miami at Louisville: Herbstreit picked the Cardinals, but everyone else is riding with the Hurricanes.
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech: Everyone believes in the Fighting Irish.
LSU at Arkansas: The crew is split — Howard, Corso and Herbstreit on the Tigers, Saban, McAfee and Scheffler on the Razorbacks.
Oklahoma at South Carolina: Herbstreit was the only dissenter, brave enough to save the graphic and pick the Sooners in Austin.
Full CGD analyst picks for Week 8:
Desmond Howard: Texas, Tennessee, Iowa State, Kansas State, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, LSU, South Carolina
Nick Saban: Texas, Alabama, Iowa State, West Virginia, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Miami, Notre Dame, Arkansas, South Carolina
Pat McAfee: Texas, Tennessee, Iowa State, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Arkansas, South Carolina
Celebrity Guest Picker – Scottie Scheffler: Texas, Alabama, Iowa State, Kansas State, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Miami, Notre Dame, Arkansas, South Carolina
Lee Corso: Texas, Alabama, Iowa State, Kansas State, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Miami, Notre Dame, LSU, South Carolina
Kirk Herbstreit: No pick for Georgia at Texas, Tennessee, Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona, Indiana, Illinois, Louisville, Notre Dame, LSU, Oklahoma
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
Athlon Sports projected the best SEC games for each week of the 2026 regular season.
The conference features some of the most compelling matchups in all of college football, from opening weekend through rivalry week. The selections emphasize games anticipated to have the biggest impact on the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Florida’s annual clash with Georgia was tabbed as one of the SEC’s premier fixtures. The game has grown in national significance since it began in 1904, continuing as a battle of blue-blood programs that routinely produces iconic results. The game temporarily moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Jacksonville stadium renovations.
The Jon Sumrall era carries with it an increasing sense of belief — many experts see the Gators as a dark-horse CFB playoff contender. Regardless of its final win-loss record, UF will play a part in shaping the season’s narrative as they face several post-season favorites in Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Noted in the article is the SEC’s depth and newly implemented nine-game conference schedule. Georgia, Texas, Alabama and LSU appear multiple times on this list, with Georgia facing Alabama in Week 6 and Ole Miss in Week 10 while LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1 and will see Texas in Week 11 take on Alabama.
Many contenders from the SEC face multiple nationally relevant foes over the course of the season.
Athlon Sports’ Best game for every week of the 2026 season
- Week 1: Clemson at LSU (Sept. 5)
- Week 2: Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)
- Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
- Week 4: Oklahoma at Georgia (Sept. 26)
- Week 5: Auburn at Tennessee (Oct. 3)
- Week 6: Georgia at Alabama (Oct. 10)
- Week 7: Alabama at Tennessee (Oct. 17)
- Week 8: Ole Miss at Texas (Oct. 24)
- Week 9: Florida vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (Oct. 31)
- Week 10: Georgia at Ole Miss (Nov. 7)
- Week 11: Texas at LSU (Nov. 14)
- Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
- Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday) (Nov. 27)
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